Sun coverage

Perhaps the neon stages, funky electronic dance music and costume-like attire of attendees made some shudder at the thought of the Electric Daisy Carnival invading Las Vegas last month. Or maybe it was simply the event’s tarnished image after two drug overdose deaths at similar festivals in other locations.

Regardless, anxieties ran high in Las Vegas before the dance carnival hit town as critics feared mayhem given the city’s party reputation. Even the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authorityshied away from promoting the event.

But when the dust settled — or, in this case, the confetti fell at the festival — officials praised the event for its relatively smooth outcome. In fact, more crime- and traffic-related incidents occurred during the same time in Metro Police’s Convention Center Area Command, which includes the Strip. A breakdown of those numbers is below:

(Source: Statistics from Metro Police and the Clark County coroner’s office. The Convention Center Area Command statistics were collected for the same hours the Electric Daisy Carnival operated: 6 p.m. June 24 to 6 a.m. June 25; 6 p.m. June 25 to 6 a.m. June 26; and 6 p.m. June 26 to 6 a.m. June 27. )

Traffic citations

Metro Police issued one traffic citation at the Electric Daisy Carnival during the event’s first and third nights. Police didn’t record traffic citations during its second night.

Toward the Strip, police issued 106 traffic citations in the Convention Center Area Command during event hours that weekend. The command stretches from Interstate 15 on the west to Swenson Street on the east and is bound by Sahara Avenue to the north and Russell Road to the south.

Misdemeanor citations

No misdemeanor citations were issued at the carnival during its first and third nights, and officials said the number for the second night is not known. In the command area, police issued 164 misdemeanor citations during event hours.

Misdemeanor arrests

Police arrested 31 event attendees for misdemeanors that weekend compared with 79 misdemeanor arrests in the command area during the same time.

Gross misdemeanor arrests

No one was arrested at the event for gross misdemeanors. Police arrested three people for gross misdemeanors in the command area.

Felony arrests

This is the one category in which the carnival had significantly higher numbers than within the command area. Twenty-nine people were arrested for felonies at the event — most related to drugs — compared with 14 felony arrests in and around the Strip.

DUI arrests

Authorities arrested three people for drunken driving at the carnival. Police arrested two suspected drunken drivers in the command area. No one was arrested for drug use in either area.

Traffic accidents

One traffic collision occurred at carnival despite the throngs of people coming and going. In contrast, police responded to 37 traffic accidents during event hours in the command area.

Other deaths

Hundreds were treated at the carnival for medical conditions such as heat exhaustion, but no one died. In the command area, one person died during event hours: A 21-year-old man was stabbed to death on a pedestrian walkway between MGM Grand and New York-New York.